ABA family law conference to discuss ART post-Dobbs and more

Leading practitioners and professionals from across the country will discuss important developments for family law lawyers during the 2023 Spring CLE Conference hosted by the American Bar Association Section of Family Law April 19-22 in Las Vegas.

Three days of programming for new and seasoned family law practitioners will include topics such as the fallout from the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade on artificial reproductive technology (ART), including international considerations and concerns about criminalization.

Program highlights include:

• “ART Happenings Around the World” — A panel of experts, including lawyers from Ireland, France, Italy and Argentina, will examine how changes in the law here and abroad could impact ART practice in the United States.

• “The Bang Felt Around the World - International ART Considerations Post-Dobbs” — A panel of experts will explore the parallel efforts to restrict ART at the national and international levels before asking how different countries address the issues of infertility treatment prevention. A case study will be used to discuss how human rights considerations, such as identity, continuity of legal rights and reproductive rights are driving these efforts.

“Conceiving the Inconceivable…The Fallout from Dobbs” — This panel will provide a look at the outcomes and tentacles of the Dobbs ruling and language of the court. The speakers will analyze the impact on ART law, including adjusting contract language, ART best practice changes, breach of contract provisions, overall adjustments and optimism that may be needed in an ART law practice.

“Did Dobbs Just Criminalize the World of IVF (and Other Unintended Consequences)?” — This panel will look at the impact of Dobbs on all providers in the ART arena, including lawyers, medical practices and matching programs, and will address potential criminal and other liability of medical providers, clients and others, and the risks to medical and other providers along with multijurisdictional impact.

For additional information on the conference, visit www.americanbar.org/groups/family_law.